Notre Dame Turning 850 This Year

This year the iconic Notre Dame de Paris will be turning a nice round 850 years old. As you would expect there is a line of celebrations starting now and continuing on past the New Year's, some of which feature the cathedrals well known organ.

One of the icons of Paris is turning 850 this coming year. Notre Dame de Paris was founded in 1163, although the beautiful Gothic cathedral wasn't completed until 1345 and the building has been altered several times since.

To celebrate, Notre Dame is hosting a series of special events throughout 2013. A concert series has already started. Some of the shows will feature the cathedral's great organ with its five keyboards, 190 ties and 8,000 pipes. The cathedral has excellent acoustics so the musicians will sound their best.